A country girl goes to the big city where she faces the lures of glamor and temptation mingled with the wiles and snares of deceit. All this could become ruinous or could be overcome by hard work and attention to the values which motivate good choices.

Customer Service

Saturday, April 4, 2015

STUDENT STEWARDESSES STUDYING A PROPELLER WITH GERRY ON TOP OF THE WORLD.

Yes! We learned more than "Tea, Coffee or Milk?"

We provided many services for our passengers. We hung up coats, helped

place things in the overhead rack, memorized the passengers’ names, passed

out magazines, and offered a pillow and blanket. For emergencies we carried

small oxygen tanks. For babies we had jars of baby food and sometimes Girl

Scout Cookies, and we always had wings or rings for the older children.

On board we had the greatest Girl Scout Cookies to serve our passengers. I

would put the Gerber apple sauce jars in the ice to get nice and chilled. When

we needed a snack we’d eat the Girl Scout Cookies and the chilled apple sauce.

My, oh my, it was tasty!

My friend Claire giving some children an American Airlines balloon and wings. And notice the ashtray!

For the idle traveler, we could hand them a deck of playing cards to play their

favorite game, or they could join us in the lounge at the rear of the plane for some nice conversation. It was wonderful! We weren’t just servers, but generous, interesting hostesses. Imagine how our passengers must have felt when they left our home in the sky. They had enjoyed one brief moment with comfort and attention.Among the many niceties that we provided were American Airlines stationery and envelopes. The passengers were able to do any corresponding they needed done on the plane and give the finished letter to us. We then gave the written, unstamped items to the agent for mailing—true airmail!

Additionally, every passenger had access to some American Airlines stationery that had this direction on top:

The first passenger letter I received was from a dear, elderly woman named Clara M. Herring who was nervous about flying for the first time. As the only stewardess on the flight, I was as tense as Clara was nervous. I felt like I had this constant inner dialogue playing through my mind, “Am I doing my best."

American Airlines has often been described as the leader in air transportation. I hope we merit that distinction and will continue to merit it. To do that we must continue to please you, the customer. Never entirely satisfied with our service, each day we endeavor to make it better.

If you have suggestions to improve the service, please give us the benefit of them. If your journey has been pleasant, tell us about it; it will encourage us. If any individual rendered outstanding service, give me the name and we will commend him or her for you. We are glad to have you aboard; I hope that you will travel often with American.

It was always so rewarding and encouraging when the letters were directed toward me. They validated me as a contributor. Growing up I had been taught that “it’s not what you get, but what you give that makes you happy.” I learned first-hand that that is true. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was to look outward for joy, not inward to be satisfied.